80 was part of the Eisenhower project to connect the states via one continuous freeway. 80 just runs east-west across Ohio. 71 and 77 both run north-south. All states' turnpikes run east-west to my knowledge.

A God Damn dead man would understand that if a minor league bus in any city took a real sharp right turn, a Zack McCalister would likely fall out. - Lead Pipe

The turnpike and the interstate highway system are two different things. The turnpikes came first, and when the interstate system came along they included the turnpikes. The toll roads can still collect tolls, but do not receive federal money for maintenance.

PA has one that runs north-south, from Scranton to Philly. I've been down that one before.

I swear I always hear people 50 and over complain that they were only supposed to collect tolls for a certain number of years... Kind of like the complaining you hear about the Ohio Lottery not saving the schools. I wonder if there was some such limit that has been extended forever. Like any tax it never goes away!

"When a man with money meets a man with experience, the man with experience leaves with money and the man with money leaves with experience."

I swear I always hear people 50 and over complain that they were only supposed to collect tolls for a certain number of years... Kind of like the complaining you hear about the Ohio Lottery not saving the schools. I wonder if there was some such limit that has been extended forever. Like any tax it never goes away!

I've always heard that as well and believe it to be true.

I've even heard some originalists claim that the concept of state or federal toll roads to be unconstitutional.

Either way I'm with you, its nothing more than a tax and it is not going away.

Criminals in this town used to believe in things...honor, respect."I heard your dog is sick, so bought you this shovel"

Yeah, it sucks to have to pay to drive on I-80 but with my job I travel all over the midwest and now with the traveling I do I will never bitch about i-80 again.

Why you ask?

Ever drive PA's turnpike of I-76? That is the most horribly maintained piece of shit I have ever driven on and the tolls are much higher than Ohio's.

I drove from Youngstown, OH to North East, MD last winter. I have to take 76 from the Ohio border to basically the Lancaster, PA exit. One way cost 21 dollars. You can drive all of I-80 from one side to the other and it doesn't cost that much and the travel is much nicer. Better maintained roads, nicer rest stops etc.

I shouldn't be surprised. It is yinzer nation and it goes right by Pittspuke.

I've even heard some originalists claim that the concept of state or federal toll roads to be unconstitutional.

Either way I'm with you, its nothing more than a tax and it is not going away.

I'm an originalist and toll roads are not unconstitutional UNLESS a state charges for you to come in from another state and does so directly on its border. The Feds could do a toll road across state lines because of the commerce clause.

My dad worked on the turnpike when we lived in Ohio when I was a kid. There was a point where it was going to shift to a non-toll interstate but a decision was made to not do so mainly because of the turnpike's use for both state and national commerce. At least back then the tolls allowed for better services on the turnpike. The potholes were patched more quickly and the road was more consistently salted in the winters.

I don't think that happens anymore, at least not since they decided to redistribute the turnpike tolls to other state projects last year. But the Ohio Turnpike used to be known as one of the best roads in the country. A good friend who used to drive semis cross country has told me this before. And I have experienced it a couple of times as I've driven out of Pennsylvania or Indiana, especially in winter, to find the Ohio Turnpike in much better shape than the other roadways, especially the shitty Indiana Toll Road.

That's what I recall being told in the past. I can ask my dad next time I talk to him because he'll recall all that stuff, but the Turnpike's maintenance used to be among the best in the nation. Hope it still is.